Steve Law

Church Custodial Management (part 7 of 10)

Posted on December 24, 2015 Written by Steve Law

Create room layout templates to be used with room requests

Have a graphic designer create a page with various room setups, and label each setup.
That page should be available online and in the office so that anyone who asks for a room can also select the appropriate arrangement of tables and chairs to meet their needs.
The size of the layout will be determined by the number of people attending the event (which should also be a question in the online room request form), so the custodians can work their magic in getting the right number of tables and chairs to match the chosen layout.
Some of the various layout options are:
- Solid square
- Open square
- U-shape
- Lecture style with tables
- Lecture style with just chairs
- Circle
- No chairs or tables

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: budget, church staff, facilities Tagged: buildings, church staff, facilities

Changing Plans

Posted on December 22, 2015 Written by Steve Law

Question: Several years ago (2009 or 10), Grace Church entered into a building program for a Family Life Center. They set up a designated fund for the project, and after voting on a design and posting it around the church, they started collecting money. There was an early attempt to set the fund as a general building fund, but it was set as the Family Life Center Fund. Some contributions were significant (at least $10,000 dollar gift). The goal was over $850,000 but the plan was to raise $450,000 within a few years and finance the rest.

Currently there is $211,000 in the fund and many people want to either change the plan to a smaller, cheaper building that does not meet the original use ideas and does not match the floor plan voted on or cancel the project altogether. Undesignated receipts haven’t been over $150,000 in the past 20 years. The problem is that most of the money was accepted, but no records were kept as to who donated what.

At a recent called meeting to discuss this, the questions were about what they could do legally about the situation. Can we change the building? Is there any way to cover ourselves if we cancel or change the program but cannot identify most of the contributors? I know what I have always been told, but some of my members insist that the money was given, so they can decide how to use it.

Answer: This is a tough situation with a hard answer but this is the proper way to handle this. Here are the proper steps to follow:

Contact every donor that you know about and ask them to sign a document giving the church permission to use the funds for another purpose or even unrestricted uses (aka, to the ministry budget). After that, move out of this fund all monies you’re given permission to move to whatever purpose the donor permits.
Get the church to formally vote on how the church would like to use the remaining funds. Use paper ballots and retain the ballots in case there is a need to show them later. I strongly encourage you to find a purpose that is as close as possible to the original purpose and get the church to vote on giving the money to that. The reason for doing this is to prove to others what the owners (church members) want to do with the money. Again, the church should appear unanimous in what it wants to do with the money but this vote does NOT permit the church to move the money as it wants. It is merely an indication of what the church wants to do.
Contact the state Attorney General’s office at (804) 786-2071 and use the courts to seek release.Explain to the AG’s office what the story is and what the church wants to do with the money. The AG should take this request to a judge and get a judge to sign off on it. This may be done in the judge’s offices or the judge may want to have a public hearing on this – I don’t know and I suspect that each judge will handle it differently. Hopefully it is a perfunctory process but that is probably only possible if no one in the church squabbles about where to use the money. Always follow the instructions of the AG – that way you’re doing exactly the right thing.

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: accounting, church finances, leadership, strategy Tagged: accounting, church finances, leadership, strategy

Church Custodial Management (part 6 of 10)

Posted on December 18, 2015 Written by Steve Law

Establish online room requests

Work with your website guru to develop a registration page for room requests.
Everyone (staff person, member, outsider, etc.) must complete a room request online to ask for a room.
Upon hitting “submit,” emails are generated and sent to the appropriate staff person(s) and back to the person making the request.
This system creates an electronic paper trail, and it also creates a document which can be used in doing the room setup.

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: buildings, church staff, facilities Tagged: buildings, church staff, facilities

10 Financial Ratios (part 10 of 10)

Posted on December 15, 2015 Written by Steve Law

Planning Meeting

Capital Campaign

Definition: a multi-year fundraising church-wide event
Results:
1. Minimum: Held every 5-10 years
2. Purpose: Raising money for a church need (a building, debt reduction, etc) and maybe an intangible goal (a missions project or missionary support)
Consequences:
1. Capital campaigns are additional times to do member education about stewardship and generosity
2. Capital campaigns are opportunities to receive input from members and to cast vision for the future of the church
3. If these are too infrequent, the church can have
  1. Complacency by members about their roles in the church
  2. Deferred maintenance on the church facilities and church’s vision

Now What? So What?

Compare your church’s financial ratios to the optimum range for each ratio.
Develop a 2-3 year plan to bring your ratios in line with best financial practices.

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: accounting, budget, leadership, strategy Tagged: budget, leadership, strategy

Advent & the Church (part 4 of 4)

Posted on December 13, 2015 Written by Steve Law

Advent means “the arrival of a notable thing, event, or person.” Christians celebrate the arrival of Christ – and that requires us humans to get ready during the weeks before Christmas.

The church has five major purposes: discipleship & education, worship & music, care & service, and outreach & missions. Many churches plan their budgets, staffing, and programming around these emphases. These areas can also be a focus during Advent.

Fourth Sunday of Advent: Outreach and Missions

On this Sunday we celebrate the role of the church in telling the Good News of Jesus to the people of the world. God loves all of humanity, whether you consider yourself a saint or a sinner. You are created in the image of God and you have God’s-breath (aka, a soul) in you. The earth has over 7 billion images of God and every single one of them is God-loved. At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his followers to go to “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” These very places are represented in the Christmas story.

Jerusalem – where Mary, Joseph, and the Magi passed through; where Herod lived in his palace; and where Simeon and Anna worked and worshipped in the temple waiting to see the Messiah. What are you doing in your own city to share the Good News? What needs are there which you and your church can meet?
Bethlehem – a city in Judea where Jesus was born and where the shepherds were tending flocks of sheep. What are you doing in your own state or regional area to share the Good News? What needs are there which you and your church can meet?
Nazareth – a city in Samaria where Mary & Joseph were living when God announced to them that Jesus was coming and the city to which they returned after fleeing to Egypt. What are you doing in the section of the country where you live to share the Good News? What needs are there which you and your church can meet?
Babylon – where the Magi came from. It was a distant land with peoples and customs beyond the comprehension of the average person living in Palestine. What are you doing in your world to share the Good News? What needs are there which you and your church can meet?

Travel has made your world much more compact. You can get to distant lands quickly. But people from around the world are coming to your city, too. How can you welcome the strangers in your town or even neighborhood so that they see a model of Christ in you? How can you share the Good News with the world whether you stay in your city, state, region, or intentionally go on a mission trip?

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: faith Tagged: faith

Church Custodial Management (part 5 of 10)

Posted on December 11, 2015 Written by Steve Law

Make custodians responsible for specific areas (this is only if you have more than one custodian in your church)

There is a debate about whether custodians are responsible for the entire building or specific areas. They actually are responsible for both.
Custodians should be responsible for specific areas for cleanliness and room setups and tear-downs. As a matter of week-to-week practice, custodians should focus on their part of the building for regular activities.
Custodians should be available and willing to help each other in major setups and tear-downs which are beyond their specific area of responsibility but are part of the entire building.
Custodians should help each other with major cleaning projects and still have time to take care of their particular part of the facilities.

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: buildings, church staff, facilities Tagged: buildings, church staff, facilities

10 Financial Ratios (part 9 of 10)

Posted on December 8, 2015 Written by Steve Law

Weekly Offerings to Weekly Budget Goal

Definition: Divide weekly receipts by weekly goal
Results:
1. Worst Case Scenario: this should not go below 75% for more than three consecutive weeks
2. Best Case: if this ratio goes above 125% for more than three weeks in a row, thank the church
Consequences:
1. If your weekly budget receipts drop below the weekly goal for more than three consecutive weeks without a visible reason, then
  1. Push the “Concerned” Button (but not the Panic Button just yet). Push the Panic Button when you go five consecutive weeks
  2. Tighten up on expenses and explain to the congregation ASAP about the financial situation and encourage (never belittle) them to be generous.
  3. When the financial situation returns to normal, thank the members publicly for their gifts and God’s faithfulness.
2. If your weekly budget receipts exceed the goal for more than three consecutive weeks, determine why this happened
  1. A one-time only gift such an inheritance or bonus
  2. Increased giving by several people
  3. Several new people joining and giving

Now What? So What?

Compare your church’s financial ratios to the optimum range for each ratio.
Develop a 2-3 year plan to bring your ratios in line with best financial practices.

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: accounting, budget, church finances, leadership, strategy Tagged: accounting, budget, leadership, strategy

Advent & the Church (part 3 of 4)

Posted on December 6, 2015 Written by Steve Law

Advent means “the arrival of a notable thing, event, or person.” Christians celebrate the arrival of Christ – and that requires us humans to get ready during the weeks before Christmas.

Third Sunday of Advent: Service to Others

On this Sunday we celebrate the role of the church in the service to others, whether they are Christians or not. God asks every Christian to go through life helping others and even do things that are unexpected and unnecessary. Servanthood is an integral part of Christian maturity. The challenge is for each of us to see and act on the daily opportunities to help others regardless of whether or not they appreciate it. We are doing our service because God asks us, not because humans want or need it. Christian service can be seen in the quiet and steady work provided by the animals in the Christmas story.

Donkeys – 9-months pregnant Mary probably rode a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, but a donkey isn’t mentioned in that story. Jesus did ride a donkey into Jerusalem at his final Passover. What loads are you carrying? Are they the right loads or is it previous baggage that you should be rid of?
Sheep – these animals provided clothing, food, milk, and even warmth. They are useful in many different ways. How are you useful in a variety of means? How are you freely giving away what you have to provide others with clothing and food?
Cattle – they aren’t mentioned in the birth story but I needed a fourth animal and we know there were cows in Palestine. They also provided milk and meat and other cows for their owners. When your service gone unnoticed, have you been upset? What kind of recognition do you seek for what you do?
Camels – the camels provided transport for the Magi. They plodded long distances carrying foreigners who had an obsession with worshipping Jesus. How do you carry the Good News to others in faraway lands?

As you go through this day and week, look for the times when you can help others whether it is as simple as holding a door or buying someone’s groceries for them. Do these acts not for your own glory but to follow the hoof-prints of these service animals who did their work because that’s what they were created for. Work for God, always.

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: faith Tagged: faith

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